Disney World Travelers Beware! A Contagious Disease Is on the Rise in Central Florida

When Walt Disney was looking for a location to build the theme park of his dreams, he wanted an area that not only had great weather year-round, but also a place that was affordable to build in and a place that was easy to get to. After a lot of research and travel, he decided that Orlando, Florida was the ideal place. Disney spent years secretly purchasing land in Central Florida, and construction began in 1967. Sadly, Walt passed away before he could see his vision come to life, but his Magic Kingdom is now one of the most popular vacation destinations on the planet.

Walt’s dream put Central Florida on the map, and it is now the theme park capital of the world. In addition to Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando is also home to the Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando, and LEGOLand, along with a number of smaller venues like ICON Park. That means that millions of people travel there every year. While that is great for the state and great for local businesses, there can be some problems that come along with it.

One of those problems is disease. People travel from around the world to visit the theme parks, and can bring with them some diseases that may not be prevalent in the States. According to a new report from the Centers For Disease control, one contagious disease is quickly becoming problematic in Central Florida. That disease is leprosy, and it is spreading fast.

According to news reports, Central Florida is experiencing the biggest uptick in cases, accounting for more than 81% of reported cases in the state. The area also accounts for 1/5 of cases nationwide. Per The Sun Sentinel:

Leprosy has been historically uncommon in the United States, but has more than doubled in the South over the last 10 years. Research discussed in the CDC’s August issue of the Emerging Infectious Diseases notes that Central Florida has accounted for 81% of reported cases in the state and almost one-fifth of reported cases nationwide. They believe Central Florida might be an endemic location for the disease.

Because Florida, particularly Central Florida, has an increasing number of cases, the author of the case report is recommending that physicians, when treating patients with symptoms of leprosy, ask them if they have traveled to or lived in Florida.

Thankfully, if caught early, leprosy is very treatable. Leprosy typically affects the skin, nerves, and mucous membranes, so symptoms can include rough, dry patches on the skin, sores on the soles of feet, swelling or lumps on the face or earlobes, muscle weakness, nosebleeds, and numbness in affected skin areas. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it is important to get to a doctor as soon as possible.

If left untreated, leprosy (also called Hansen’s disease) can cause paralysis, shortening of fingers and toes, chronic foot ulcers, blindness, loss of eyebrows, and nose disfigurement.